ST. SIMONS ISLAND — It was odd to see a Miss America crown on the heads of soldiers, airmen and Marines dressed to match the dirt and rocks.

Heather Whitestone McCallum wore a Kevlar helmet during parts of her four-day visit to Afghanistan in October, but she took along the glittering head gear that she won as Miss America 1995. Back home on St. Simons Island, she spoke Friday to elementary school students at Frederica Academy, two days after Veterans Day.

She showed pictures. She told stories. Pictures, they say, are worth a thousand words. But there aren’t enough words or pictures for some of the heartbreak she saw or to describe the absolute triumph of the human spirit she witnessed.

There were photos of her and five other former Miss Americas standing at parade rest under orders from former Miss Utah, Jill Stevens, who was deployed previously with the Utah National Guard as a medic. One of them, Erika Dunlap, Miss America 2004, is a contestant on CBS’s “The Amazing Race.”

Ericka Dunlap, 27, and Brian Kleinschmidt, 27, only placed third in The Amazing Race 15, but this Nashville couple (a.k.a. Mr. and Miss America) were consistently fun to watch thanks to her dramatic meltdowns and their witty repartee. The aspiring country singer and her marketing tour manager husband spoke with PEOPLE about keeping it real on The Race. –Carrie Bell

It must have been frustrating to gain the lead and then lose it because you can’t bungee bounce.Brian: It was a tough challenge and it was a blow to our spirits to lose the lead but it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. They made it look like we were there for an hour when in actuality we were probably only there for an extra 10 or 15 minutes. The thing that really killed us was that our dealer in the poker room miscounted some chips.Ericka: It sucked to lose the lead. We were in first place for the first time ever and it seemed like destiny to achieve that when it really counted. We arrived at Love about 13 minutes ahead of Meghan and Cheyne but couldn’t get the damn flowers. When they got there and she got it, I started to get very anxious and frustrated. The more frustrated I got, the worse I performed.Brian: It felt like we lost a million dollars by about four inches. Ericka is much shorter than Sam and Meghan. She came so close and grabbed a handful of petals almost every time. But that’s life.

That was probably your biggest meltdown, but you had several memorable tantrums on the Race.Ericka: The truth of the matter is if you put a group of pastors out there on the Race, they’d get frustrated and yell sometimes too. I know I’m a sweet, good person who loves my husband. I had my meltdowns and my moments. I was frustrated and hungry and we were in the heat of competition and we were there to win a million. If you’re passive and just there for the experience, you would probably be much calmer. But we wanted that money!

Now that you’ve seen the episodes and had time to reflect, how do you feel about your behavior?Ericka: We had some spats. Everyone did. It was freeing for me in a way. I‘m not some passive perfect pageant girl. It was freeingBrian: We’re a real couple with real problems. We conquered all those and got stronger as the Race went on. Ericka is competitive and passionate. That’s what I love about her. Our positive moments still outweighed the negative moments.Ericka: I think more people relate to us than dislike us. Women see me at Walmart and write me on Facebook and tell me their husband has started calling them Ericka because they act like me.

How did it affect your marriage?Ericka: It exposed us to a lot of different sides of each other that we were not aware of and we’re surely prepared for a lot of new challenges. It made me love him more.Brian: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We’ve only been married for 3 years and have experienced more than most people will in the first 50.

Did it change your family’s opinion of Brian?Ericka: Yes. My mom is so proud of how far we got and things have been much better between them. They realized he’s here to stay and that he loves me.Brian: That’s worth more than the prize.

What were your favorite and least favorite moments?Brian: Our favorite city was Prague even though transporting the beer for a mile and a half from moonlight to sunlight was the worst task for me. It was so heavy, it took three trips and we had to deal with those rowdy drunks.Ericka: I loved the candelabra task with the medieval dungeon men because it was really easy to complete that one. My worst? There were so many. How to choose? The bells were probably the worst.

One of the strongest teams of The Amazing Race 15, husband and wife team of Nashville marketing tour manager, Brian Kleinschmidt, and former Miss America, Ericka Dunlap, had their fair share of highs and lows leading up to The Amazing Race finale. Although Brian and Ericka were always an Amazing Race threat, Prague proved to be a huge challenge, as Brian and Ericka almost saw themselves on the outside of The Amazing Race looking in at the other Amazing Race teams after nearly being eliminated.

Thanks to a non-elimination round, Brian and Ericka regrouped for a second chance at Amazing Race glory and a renewed run at landing in the top three forThe Amazing Race finale. When the teams touched down in Las Vegas to run the final leg of The Amazing Race, Brian and Ericka were in the heat of competition until the Nashville couple hit a roadblock and fell victim to a Cirque du Soleil bungee task at The Beatles "Love" show. As a result, Brian and Ericka lost precious Amazing Race time and crossed the finish line in third at the estate of singer Wayne Newton behind brothers Sam and Dan and Meghan and Cheyne who wonThe Amazing Race 15.

The next morning we caught up with Brian and Ericka of The Amazing Race to find out their Amazing Race turning point, whether Brian could have ran down Mandalay Bay instead of Ericka, what they would have done differently, their thoughts on Sam and Dan, and the real story behind the broken stick shift we heard about earlier in the season.

THE DEADBOLT: You guys should've been awarded second place for knowing who Wayne Newton is.

ERICKA DUNLAP: Hello! Thank you.

[The Amazing Race] BRIAN KLEINSCHMIDT: You know what? You are the first person that we talked to today that actually realized that.

ERICKA: Which makes you the smartest person.

THE DEADBOLT: [laughs] Sam and Dan should've been given a penalty for that.

BRIAN: [laughs] You know what's funny? Sam and Dan are some of our best friends now. Do you know who they thought it was?

THE DEADBOLT: Who?

BRIAN: George Wallace, who is an African American performer in Vegas. I'm glad you noticed that, because in the clue it said, "You need to know who this person is."

THE DEADBOLT: You were so strong for most of the race. Aside from the finale, did you feel there was a turning point before you got to Vegas?

BRIAN: Honestly, I felt like our turning point was in Amsterdam. I really do, it was our worst leg. But at the same time it was our best leg. I mean, everything that could've went wrong that leg went wrong. Every team has it and that was our leg. I had trouble getting the car in gear, it was raining, and I wasn't feeling well. Ericka had some trouble at the bell tower and then we decided to not take the bikes for some reason. But when we got to that dance challenge, it was like we forgot about all of that stuff and we put it all aside and we almost fell in love with each other as we were dancing, because we knew we were like three hours behind. So we were like, "Whatever happens was meant to be." When we got on that mat and Phil said that we were still in it, I think that's the turning point where we really believed that we were in this thing to win it.

THE DEADBOLT: Ericka, how tough was it up there on Mandalay Bay?

[The Amazing Race] ERICKA: Oh man, it was like no big deal, honestly. I mean, the only thing that was really challenging was that as I was working my way down the rope, it was kind of burning my hand. We had gloves on but it was burning through the gloves a little bit. That was the only thing that was uncomfortable about it. But I was just psyched that I was actually doing that, it was so exciting. I can't believe that I had the chance to do it and I know that my whole family was just like, "What? She's actually doing it and enjoying doing it." I'm not like an adrenaline junkie, but for something like that it was a once in a life time. You just had to go for it and go all in.

THE DEADBOLT: Brian, if Ericka had used up all of the roadblocks, could you've done it?

BRIAN: Actually, we were very smart about our roadblocks. We had it all planned out because we honestly thought the last challenge was going to be a memory challenge. Ericka was so prepared for the memory challenge. She had a song written about all of the roadblocks and all of the places we went. She had a little diddy written. So if I would've had to have done it, I would've done it, because one of my goals going into this was getting over my fear of heights and it's a crazy fear. If you notice Cheyne going down that building, I probably would've looked like Cheyne. I think Cheyne passed out on the way down. You know, if had to do it, I would've done it. But luckily Ericka stepped up to the plate and knocked it out for the team.

THE DEADBOLT: What was the key to getting the bouquet of flowers in the Cirque du Soleil challenge?

[The Amazing Race] BRIAN: The bouquet of flowers was frustrating. But it wasn't as frustrating as they made it look on TV. They made it look like we were there all day. But when you think about it, when Meghan and Cheyne got their bouquet, the only mistake they made is that they went to the Venetian. When they realized that was wrong, they went straight to Monte Carlo to the poker room. Well, we beat them to the poker room, so we could not have been at the bungee that long. So they made it look like we were a little more frustrated than we were. But the key was to stay calm and to get it on the second bounce and you had to take the right angle. It wasn't necessarily Ericka's fault, it was more me because I was controlling where she went. If Ericka was about three inches taller, that would've helped, too.

THE DEADBOLT: What did each of you learn from that task?

ERICKA: You really just have to slow down and communicate. I think that's the most important thing, just evaluate the situation and develop a strategy that can be taken in many different adventures in life. I mean, you just never know when you just have to take a deep breath, evaluate what's going on, and then work from there based on looking around you. One of the things that I think was our downfall was that we got in first and we really didn't know what we were doing. Sam and Dan and Meghan and Cheyne, not to say they were copying us, but they definitely had a chance to learn from our mistakes and realize that they were able to catch up to us, and they were able to gain some really precious ground.

BRIAN: Just staying calm under pressure is huge. Like Ericka said, getting to a roadblock is not always an advantage. Even though this wasn't a roadblock, getting to a challenge like that first is not always the best. I can remember when we were in Dubai, Dan and I were one of the first ones searching for those urns. We searched for forty five minutes before we found those urns. When the other group came, they just saw where we were and walked right out to those urns. So it's not always an advantage to be first.

THE DEADBOLT: Given how Sam and Dan played throughout the race, would either of you go back and do anything differently?

[The Amazing Race] BRIAN: No. I'm really proud the way we ran the race. We tried to stay honest and play fair and not make any enemies. That was one of our main goals, because when you start focusing on other teams and start bickering and fighting, you lose focus of your own team. We tried to stay clear of that and play nice. If we could help people out, we helped them out. But I wasn't going to help Big Easy with the Franz thing. If we could help somebody out who wasn't going to put us out, we had no problem doing that. Sam and Dan, I respect the way they ran the race. It's just not the way we chose to run it.

ERICKA: At the same time, I think it would've been smart if perhaps during that situation Brian would've just gone down to somehow stop them from carrying through and allowing them to put us almost out of the race. That's the only thing I wish we would've done a little bit differently. But I'm proud of the fact that we were decent and kind to everybody who was running the race.

I had my meltdown moments with Brian, but that's just kind of the strange part of our dynamic. We were talking about this a little earlier. In real life, he is the one who's a lot more feisty and frantic and I'm the one who's always kind of calm and collected and trying to figure out what the solution is going to be. So we definitely had a role reversal throughout the race and it's interesting to watch all of that play out. Half of the time when we're watching these episodes, I don't even know that I said or did some of those things, because it was just raw, fleshy emotion that was coming out. There was no real bone to it.

BRIAN: After the first leg or so, you honestly forget that the cameramen are there and that there's a mic on you. That's why the show is so genuine and real, because all of the emotions that you're seeing are as real as you can get.

THE DEADBOLT: I've been talking to the other teams about a broken stick shift. What can you tell me about that?

BRIAN: Leaving the L.A.sewer system. First of all, that was just crazy with the license plates. I almost had a heart attack when Phil said a team is going to be eliminated right on the spot. But we got our license plate and got in the car. I've never driven a Mercedes like that so I thought that it was just a regular gear shift where I had to pull up and down on it. Well, little did I know, all you had to do was touch a little button and that put it in gear. So I took the whole gear shifter, put it in drive, pulled down and the whole thing came off in my hand. So I quickly got out of that car, got in the next car, and drove to the airport. I left that one for Lance, my friend. The funny thing is, Lance thinks that he broke it. When I told him at the end of the race that I was the one who broke it, we had a great laugh about it.

Along the way on The Amazing Race this season, Brian Kleinschmidt and Ericka Dunlap caught some lucky breaks. The most notable was the leg in Amsterdam, where they were three hours behind another team. When poker players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho were unable to complete a task, they quit the race, leaving a spot for Brian and Ericka to continue on. That event pushed the husband and wife and they made it all the way to the finale, where they finished third but reached their goal of being able to cross the finish line. Today, Brian and Ericka spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about their experiences on the show.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to try out for The Amazing Race this season?A. Brian: I’ve been watching The Amazing Race since the show started. Ericka started watching it when she met me. One day she said to me, “Do you wanna do this?” We got our stuff together in two days and sent it off to CBS.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you have any reservations about going on the show?A. Ericka: I had some reservations because I’m aware that the show will make you face your fears. I have a fear of deep water and Brian has a fear of heights. There’s also that general fear of the unknown and I was a little concerned about

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Ericka, you really represented strong women well and it was great to see two strong women in the final leg. Are you proud of the way that you were shown on tv?A. Ericka: Absolutely! I’ve spoken with several women who told me their husbands call them “Ericka” because they remind them of me. I was a strong woman and I’m really happy with the way that I was represented. Meghan is also such a strong person. She’s this tall, beautiful, blonde… you’d never expect that she would be so athletic and competitive.A. Brian: That’s what so great about the race. It’s not like the Super Bowl where you have to decide between two teams. There are 12 different teams here and every single person can relate to a team. I’m honored to have been a part of it.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: This has to be the nicest cast I’ve ever seen on a reality show - especially you, Brian. Did you have a strategy going in to help others or is that just your personality?A. Brian: Honestly, some people thought it was strategy but you can ask Ericka. If I see people in need, I’ll help them. I couldn’t help Big Easy with “Franz”, though… that would’ve been going too far!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You two definitely caught some lucky breaks this season. What was the turning point for you, do you think?A. Brian: Our turning point was actually our worst leg, in Amsterdam. We had a rough start at the airline, Ericka had that headache with the bells… there is no reason that we should’ve continued on the race. We were 3 hours behind the other teams but the girls couldn’t finish and we caught our best break and fed off of that all the way to the finale.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Ericka, you said in the finale that you hoped that your family would get to see a side of Brian that perhaps they hadn’t before. Have things changed with them now that they’ve seen all the episodes?A. Ericka: Definitely! My mom called after the show and she didn’t necessarily apologize, but she said that we were both winners.A. Brian: Her mom is on the right route. We were just there on Thanksgiving and she referred to me as her son-in-law and called me by my first name which is the first time she’s ever done that. The race turned her around.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: All of the teams seem so close this season. Are these friends that you will keep?A. Brian: We made the best friends of our lives on this race. It’s something that you share with this small group of people. Sam, Dan, Cheyne, and all of the girls and I got matching tattoos. Do you remember that first challenge, with the license plates? We all got tattoos of that logo.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you two up to now?A. Ericka: We both live in Nashville and I’m pursuing a career in country music. I’ve talked to Mika and Canaan and we’ve discussed writing together.

Brian Kleinschmidt and Ericka Dunlap, both 27, caught a few breaks on The Amazing Race, but their luck ran out in Las Vegas when they lost an early lead to come in third place. "It was very discouraging to know we were in last place yet again at the poker chips when we got there second, but it just wasn't meant to be for us," Ericka, a former Miss America, tells TVGuide.com. See what else the couple, who have been married for two years, has to say about their Race game plan, their spats and more.

TVGuide.com: We didn't see the rest of your leg. Did you finish everything?Ericka: We did. We got the poker chips correct and we did see Wayne Newton. ... We were probably about 15 minutes behind the brothers. The poker chips were our demise; it wasn't the bungee.Brian: They made it seem like we were [doing the bungee] for an hour. We really weren't there that long because Meghan and Cheyne left the bungee, went to the Venetian and then the Monte Carlo, and we made it to the Monte Carlo before them. We were probably five minutes behind on our way to the Monte Carlo.

TVGuide.com: Ericka, you had a few freak-outs, especially during the bell-counting, and Brian had to calm you down. Were your meltdowns played up?Ericka: The freak-out with the bells was more so the fact that I had to walk upstairs for two hours, so imagine being on a stair-climber for two hours! There were a couple moments that we had, but I think the beauty in this show is that there are so many different relationships and dynamics. ... I'm much more comfortable with my husband than I would be with one of my girlfriends.Brian: Staying calm was also the only choice I had. I learned my lesson when she did the duck challenge. I was screaming my head off and I saw something in myself that I didn't like. Screaming's not going to accomplish anything. She tried her hardest at everything she did. At the end of the day, I had to do six Roadblocks and she had to do six Roadblocks. You can't get that far by yourself.

TVGuide.com: And Ericka, you rappelled down the Mandalay Bay.Ericka: That was the most exciting part of the entire race! Getting the chance to do that and really prove to a lot of people in my life and people who are observing me for the first time that, regardless of what labels and titles may be placed on me, I'm a lot different from what you expect. I'm a lot tougher than most of my family expected me to be, so that was nice to be able to shed that.

TVGuide.com: What happened with the cab-stealing? Sam and Dan said they called for another cab for you.Ericka: [Laughs] Whatever! They did not call for another cab!Brian: If they did, they told them to drive really slow because it took another 45 minutes for one to get there. If you watch carefully, the same cab driver that took them, he came back to take us. We were mad and frustrated at that moment, but after that, we kind of let it go. Honestly, without Sam and Dan, we would not have made the final three because if Dan told Big Easy it was "Franz," there was no way we would've caught up!

TVGuide.com: You, unlike Dan, didn't agree to work with Big Easy.Brian: I didn't. It was down to the wire and the thing that made me kind of mad with Big Easy is — if you watch it again carefully like I do, I got into that room and I tried to confirm the letters with him: "Did you get F, R, A, N, Z?" He just said, "Yup, I got F." He knew it started with F because Dan told him, so he tried to throw me under the bus a little, but as soon as I realized it started with an F, I wrote down "Franz." He tried to look over my shoulder, but I boxed him out. It took me about 10 minutes to go through all the phones and maybe another five to seven minutes to figure out it was "Franz."

TVGuide.com: A lot of the other teams targeted the Globetrotters. Did you as well and we didn't see it?Brian: No. Our whole thing was, we're going to let the other teams fight and we're just going to sneak by them. If there was a U-Turn, they would've U-Turned each other. They wouldn't even have thought about us because we weren't a huge threat to them.Ericka: I think we were the only team that wasn't intimidated by the Globetrotters. For some reason, from the moment we were on the start line, everybody was shaking in their boots about them. I knew what the game was about: It tests a variety of skills and there are a variety of opportunities [to get] lucky and anything can happen. They were great competitors, but I was more afraid of Ron and Marcy than I was of them! And we were the ones who [eliminated the Globetrotters], so that's kind of fun! [Laughs]

Amazing Race's Flight Time and Big Easy: No regrets about taking penalty

TVGuide.com: Ericka, you gave a nice speech at the mat. You've said your mother doesn't approve of your relationship. What was her reaction after watching you guys this season?Ericka: Thank you. She actually called us at the very end of the show. She used some of my words and said that she evaluated his character and she likes what she sees and she was very proud of us. That was definitely a star in her crown. It was really nice to know that we were able to get through.

TVGuide.com: What's next for you guys?Ericka: We live in Nashville because I'm pursuing a career in country music. I'm a singer and hopefully very soon I'll be able to share my music with the world. Brian's also a performer who has all kinds of ambitions. Hopefully he'll be able to get out and do some really interesting things based on his likeability on the race.Brian: Also, keep your eyes open. There may be a business venture with Cheyne and Meghan down the road!

Ericka Dunlap and Brian Kleinschmidt feel a problem in the poker room sunk their chances of winning The Amazing Race's fifteenth season.

Instead, the married couple from Nashville, TN finished in third behind "Dating Couple" Meghan Rickey and Cheyne Whitney, who crossed the finish line first, and "Brothers" Daniel and Samuel McMillen, who were the runner-ups, during Sunday night's finale of the CBS reality series.

On Monday, Ericka and Brian talked to Reality TV World about what went down in the poker room; how mistakes during the penultimate Circque du Soleil task were discouraging but not enough to crush their confidence; whether they enjoyed their roles as the fifteenth-season's underdogs; and if the way they were portrayed on the show was accurate.

Reality TV World: You were unable to capitalize on your lead heading into the Circque du Soleil show and had to switch roles several times. What was your major problem with that task and do you think that's what ultimately cost you guys the $1 million?

Ericka: No, I don't. (laughing)

Brian: I didn't think anyone would notice! The bungee chords isn't what put us out. They made us look like we were there for like an hour. We really weren't there that long. If you think about it, Meghan and Cheyne got out of the bungee chords and they made a wrong turn and went to The Venetian. As soon as they realized their mistake, they went straight to the Monte Carlo. Somehow, we got the Monte Carlo before them. So as soon as Meghan got her bouquet, Ericka got it not too long after that. So that's not what put us out. It was the poker chips.

Reality TV World: Ericka, you got really frustrated and started crying and shouting at Brian during that task. Was it just that you were struggling with the task that caused the meltdown or was it something else?

Ericka: Yeah, I was racing for $1 million. Everybody else was behind us -- we were ahead of them by like 15 minutes -- and they all caught up to us and then passed us. So absolutely, I was very stressed out. I think anybody would have been emotional from having such a great lead and potentially having a great upset and what was an underdog situation. Then they lose it. It was a very emotional time.

Brian: It was definitely... I feel like we lost out on $1 million by about four inches. That's really what it came down to, and that's really a tough challenge to have in a finale. It would be like asking some guy 5'11" to dunk a ball when you've got a guy who's 6'6" dunking it easy. That was a tough challenge to have at the finale. But hey, we wound up getting it done, we get to the poker room before Meghan and Cheyne and we met up with Sam and Dan. So [the Circque du Soleil task] is not what put us out at all.

Reality TV World: Brian, you seemed to handle Ericka's breakdown pretty well, even when she seemed to be blaming you for your team's inability to complete the task. What was going through your mind during her meltdown?

Brian: I was trying to stay calm because you've got to understand I'm the one who's actually controlling where she's going. It wasn't really Ericka's fault. It was almost more mine because I had to figure out the right angle to take. I realized you couldn't get it on the first attempt up. You had to put her up, down, and then on the second time up she was going to get it. So I really had to figure out the angle and how hard to push. I wound up getting the right format.

But like I said, most of the times she was up there grabbing flowers and she was about three or four inches away from grabbing that entire bouquet. So I knew we had to stay calm and stay focused and try to finish this because we knew we weren't out of it yet.

Reality TV World: You mentioned the height problems, but based on last night's show it looked like the other teams competed the task quicker because the harnessed person used their arms to pull on the bungee cords and give themselves a bit of an extra boost during their rebound bounces. Did either of you guys ever notice that?

Brian: Interestingly enough, we were the very first team there and what I think they told us was, "Do not grab the bungee chords." So that's why I was grabbing her legs at first and after I saw they were doing that, I was like, "I've got to figure out something else." Maybe being first at some challenges is not always the biggest advantage. They specifically said you cannot hang onto the bungee chords.

Reality TV World: You talked about how you had the lead going into the Circque du Soleil task and then lost it going out. What was your mind set like at that point? Were you skeptical you weren't going to be able to make up that lost time?

Brian: If you notice in the cab, the unexpected always happens on the race -- anything can happen. I said in the cab, "Maybe a team went to the wrong hotel." Sure enough, [Meghan and Cheyne] went to The Venetian. When we showed up at the poker room, we saw that Sam and Dan had just started and Meghan and Cheyne weren't even there. Our spirits were lifted.

Whatever happened at the bungee chords, we kind of left that behind -- we forgot all about it. That's what you've got to do, you've got to move on. If you dwell on things that happened, we'd still be dwelling on the bells from Amsterdam. That's why we were a strong team, we've got a strong memory.

Reality TV World: What happened your poker chips count -- do you remember how many chips you were off?

Brian: I wish I could tell you. Things didn't go the way they should have. It was stressful. You're watching all the other teams get it right, your hands shake a little bit. It's kind of a tricky challenge to end the show on I think because it's really in the hands of the counter. I'll leave it at that.

But it was definitely very, very stressful and we were all hoping for a memory challenge. We were all ready. I'm a huge fan of the race, I watch every single season, and I love the way they do the memory challenge because it recaps the entire season. I think viewers like that. So it was tough to see a final challenge for $1 million on something that's really decided by the dealer.

Reality TV World: Did you guys ever actually finish counting the poker chips or did the producers just eventually tell you guys to just go to the finish line?

Brian: I really wish they would have shown the rest of it. We ended up getting it right. We went and saw Wayne Newton, had a glass of wine with him on the piano for a little bit, and made our way to his house.

Reality TV World: About how far behind Meghan and Cheyne were you in crossing the finish line?

Ericka: We suspect it was about 20 minutes -- yes, that is a long time in the grand scheme of things. But it was relatively close in comparison to other seasons and their finish line times.

Reality TV World: When you received the Speed Bump penalty at the end of the tenth leg, were you confident that you'd be able to overcome it or did you think your race was likely over?

Brian: With the Speed Bumps that they had previously on this season, we knew that it was just going to be a slight hiccup -- it wasn't going to be enough to throw you out of the race. You've got to remember, we started like two hours behind. That was our real downfall there. But we knew we had to go for it. We weren't just going to sit down and say that we're out.

Things happened -- the whole season -- things happened for us and things always went our way. That was no exception. When we got to that phone challenge and I saw [Nathaniel "The Big Easy" Lofton] there, I knew we were still in it. I knew we were going to get into the Final 3.

Reality TV World: About how long did it take you to complete the Detour task where you had to carry the pint glasses and when you got to the Pit Stop? Based on the show it looked like you were out there all night.

Ericka: It took us about three-and-a-half, four-hours. It was a very long challenge. What most people didn't realize is we had to maneuver through the drunken streets of Prague where everyone was coming out of the clubs and the bars and everyone was completely wasted.

We had to carry beer -- which is what they wanted more of. (laughing) And we had to get to our location without, which was about two miles away from the brewery that we were picking up the glasses. We also had to deliver those glasses full to the line that was on the glasses.

It was very challenging. We were traveling on cobblestone by foot. So surely, it wasn't as easy as we hoped it would have been. You have to walk so carefully. It definitely took a lot longer than we originally anticipated. But I think that it was safe to say -- just by watching the episode back -- that we chose the right challenge. (laughing) Because the Golem was just as difficult and much more messy.

Reality TV World: Did you think you were the last team to arrive at that Pit Stop or did you know you had finished faster than the Globetrotters?

Ericka: We just didn't know because we didn't have any expectation. What I realized -- especially throughout this race -- is that when you have expectations, you generally get disappointed if it doesn't meet up to what it was that you had in mind. We just kind of went in with the blank hope that surely we would be able to make it into the Final 3.

Brian: We had no idea where the Globetrotters were and if you saw our reaction when [host Phil Keoghan] said we were one of the Final 3 teams, that was genuine, pure shock and excitement. You couldn't ask us to repeat that emotion. We had no idea and we were amazed that we did it.

Reality TV World: Brian, you seemed to surprise even Ericka when you volunteered her for the opera house Roadblock that asked for someone who "could remain composed under pressure." What were you thinking when you did that -- did you really think she was the better choice or were just trying to balance the Roadblock tasks?

Brian: It's interesting you say that. Most of the Roadblocks we got to and we kind of assessed the situation -- like the hay bails, we already saw teams doing it, we were able to see what was going on. You can really pick who you think is going to be best for it. At the opera house, we were outside the opera house when we made that decision. I just felt like it was something that Ericka could do.

Like I said, we had no idea what it was. Obviously we were conscious of how many Roadblocks we had a piece. I think I was two ahead of her at that point. So we felt like that was the best decision. It was. It turned out to be just fine.

Reality TV World: We saw you two get upset with each other at several points during the race. Was that something you thought might be a problem before the competition started?

Brian: February of this year will be our third anniversary -- we've only been married three years -- and we've been through a lot in those three years, even more so in the last month we did this race. But we've been through more stuff than people who have been married 50 years went through. So some of that was kind of expected. I'm kind of glad that it did come out because what if it came out 10 years from now when we've got kids and all this other stuff.

I think you need to settle your differences, settle your problems right up front, and what a better place to do it then in front of everybody. A way to humble yourself, right? But we learned a lot about each other, but the best thing is we grew a lot. We're still growing. We're not perfect. I think that came across on the race pretty nicely.

Reality TV World: During the show, Brian came across as the more even-keeled spouse, is that the case outside the race?

Brian: The funny thing is, it's probably the opposite outside the race. For some reason, I stayed calm on the race and she got a little frazzled. But outside the race it's a little different -- she's more calm and I'm a little more frazzled. So it's interesting to see that dynamic, and people that really know us, I think they were surprised how that all kind of turned out.

Reality TV World: You guys made it all the way to the final leg without ever being the first team to reach a Pit Stop. Do you think some of the other teams underestimated you during the race?

Brian: You know, they probably did. But I felt that was a good spot for us. The underdog is sometimes a good situation. They're not looking for you, they're not worried about you, and it was going to be the perfect upset. But things didn't go exactly right and we don't know why it didn't happen for us, but there's some reason why we were not supposed to win that $1 million and I can't wait to figure it out.

Reality TV World: Ericka, after crossing the finish line you commented that The Amazing Race was an opportunity for your family to see Brian for who he really is. Now that your family has had a chance to watch the season unfold, do you think you were able to accomplish that?

Ericka: Yes. Actually, my mom put in a call to us as soon as the episode was over and she was very emotional. She said she has definitely evaluated his character in watching him throughout the race and how he takes care of me. She's very proud of us and was very happy to accept him for who he is. So that was a wonderful moment. In spite of it all, it was a nice ending to a very intense situation.

Reality TV World: What was the most difficult task for you guys on the race? Was there anything that you thought you wouldn't be able to overcome?

Brian: By far, the most difficult task was -- and people are not going to believe me -- but it was moving the beer from the brewery to the bar. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, and I'm in great shape. I lift weights and everything. But just imagine taking two five-pound weights and putting them straight out from your arms and just see how long you can hold it up.

It was so intense and so tiring. We had to do three different trips on that two-mile course, and the last trip every 50 or so yards we would have to put our drinks down, rest, and get enough strength to get up. Our arms were like Jello. We were shaking at the end of that challenge. That was the hardest thing physical-wise that we had to do. I would challenge anybody who thinks it's easy to try something like that.

Reality TV World: What was your favorite experience on the race?

Brian: I think the ski hill in Dubai was a blast. A funny thing is, in our pre-race interviews they always say, "Where do you guys hope you go?" And I said, "I don't know where we're going, I don't even really have any hopes where we go. Wherever we go, we'll conquer it." But I had a dream two weeks before the race, and the dream was we were in Dubai and we were skiing down the ski hill. So when we got to Dubai and we got the clue that we were going to be going down the ski hill, I could not believe it.

But I think that was a great moment for us. We got second place in that leg and it was one of our better legs. We had a great time in that ski hill.

Reality TV World: Was there anything you expected to see on the show that got edited out?

Brian: There's definitely some stuff. One thing that bothered me with the editing was when they said that Ericka's mom doesn't like me because I'm white. I never said that. What I actually said was, "Ericka's mom doesn't like me, not because I'm white, but because of status issues and separation issues with her daughter." They just took that out and they cut it to where it said, "Ericka's mom doesn't like me..." cut... "because I'm white."

I hope that didn't come across the wrong way because I think there's more than me just being white. Then as far as the last episode, the last episode was very frustrating to watch. There were some issues in the poker room with the counter of the chips, with the dealer. I can't go into too much detail, but I wish they would have shown a little bit more of that because that really put us out of the race.

Reality TV World: What was the situation with the dealer? You didn't all have the same one, did you?

Brian: No, there were three counters. We unfortunately picked the one that didn't know how to count too well. She made a couple mathematical errors.

Reality TV World: How were you cast for The Amazing Race? Was it your first time applying for the show?

Ericka: It was our first time applying. For the past two years I've really become very interested in the show -- Brian's watched it since Season 1 so he always wanted to apply. We were watching back in February and we said, "Hey, let's just look and see when they're having their next casting." As it turned out, there was a week before we needed to turn everything in. So we filled out our application and we made ourselves a video and we sent it in just like everyone else.

We weren't recruited. The most thrilling part was we actually were selected. So about a month after we submitted our application we were called back. We started the process from there. So it's been a year-long journey and it's going to be nice to kind of close down this year and move onto the next thing.

Maybe It's just me, but even had the dealer counted right, I don't think they would have won. Meghan/Cheyne finished about 5 minutes before Brian/Ericka made their first attempt. I wish they would have won though.

I hated them,like...i can't see a team doing Eric and Danielle again. But for some reason i ended up loving Kisha and Jen...

Kisha and Jen were always in the front pack but just never win a leg. It's so different as compared to Brian and Ericka or Eric and Danielle who were always in the back pack and hanging on for survival or another team's mistake.

Logged

"The Amazing Race shows the best and worst out of you. But if only negative things are shown, then it's probably you. - Jobby"

I hated them,like...i can't see a team doing Eric and Danielle again. But for some reason i ended up loving Kisha and Jen...

Kisha and Jen were always in the front pack but just never win a leg. It's so different as compared to Brian and Ericka or Eric and Danielle who were always in the back pack and hanging on for survival or another team's mistake.

Yeah,i think is that. I mean...i just can't like a team that escape several close calls and go on to the finale without winning a leg...

Logged

"I don't drink. But when i do , i become another person. And that one , drinks a lot."

I hated them,like...i can't see a team doing Eric and Danielle again. But for some reason i ended up loving Kisha and Jen...

Kisha and Jen were always in the front pack but just never win a leg. It's so different as compared to Brian and Ericka or Eric and Danielle who were always in the back pack and hanging on for survival or another team's mistake.

Yeah,i think is that. I mean...i just can't like a team that escape several close calls and go on to the finale without winning a leg...

You have to think one thing, it was them or the globetrotters in the final 3, and the globetrotters quit the race. Just based on that, they deserved to be in the final 3.

I hated them,like...i can't see a team doing Eric and Danielle again. But for some reason i ended up loving Kisha and Jen...

Kisha and Jen were always in the front pack but just never win a leg. It's so different as compared to Brian and Ericka or Eric and Danielle who were always in the back pack and hanging on for survival or another team's mistake.

Yeah,i think is that. I mean...i just can't like a team that escape several close calls and go on to the finale without winning a leg...

You have to think one thing, it was them or the globetrotters in the final 3, and the globetrotters quit the race. Just based on that, they deserved to be in the final 3.

Oh sure! It's better they on the final 3 (since they come in 3) than quitters.

Logged

"I don't drink. But when i do , i become another person. And that one , drinks a lot."